Americans easily believe...?

Question

How can american so easily believe that wars can be made for ideal reasons?

No one gives anything for nothing, neither usa.

(I don't know if I have translated well the italian saying "nessuno dà niente per niente"...I hope so..)

Answer 1

Believe it or not wars are necessary be it for the right or wrong reasons...  Most all Americans dont want war but its our patriotic duty to fight for the freedoms of all..... Maybe if you were an AMERICAN you might understand!!

MCCAIN"08"

Answer 2

As an American (and a proud one at that as well as a military brat).... We don't want war nor do we like it very much... Sending off our loved ones to go die is not our idea of a fun friday night... :/

The ignorant ones either embrace war as it is for a noble cause (outside of for freedom) or there is always some conspericy behind it (such as it's for oil and nothing else).

The intelligent ones realize that it isn't as black and white as it's for freedom, they had WMD's, blah blah blah.... we also realize that war has it's sacrifices and even it's economic returns (whether they are good or bad).

And yes your translation came out just fine... (I studied Italian for a year and half, though I am still not good at it yet)

Answer 3

against the war!

Answer 4

I disagree with both the latent and the implied assumptions in your question.  First of all, war can and often has been fought for reasons many would consider ideal (peace, liberty, love).  Second, the American people are not naive to think that war is only fought for the most ideal reasons.  We are also selfish, and wars should be fought if there is something worthwhile to gain.  Do the Italians not understand that?  I am quite surprised if they do not.

The following explanation of the American people's rationale for our presence in Iraq is not intended to justify the apparent acts of our Nation's leaders in blurring the facts. It is simply meant to address the assumption pregnant in your question regarding the naivety of the American populace.  Which speaks more to your naivety than anything else.

We Americans "invaded" Iraq because our President (whose judgment we doubted but nonetheless supported post-9/11) and our then Secretary of State (whose judgment and trustworthiness we took for granted) convinced us that Iraq harbored an immediate, tangible threat to stability in the Middle East. We Americans, along with most of the developed world, selfishly depend on stability in the Middle East for stable energy prices. Israel selfishly depends on stability in the Middle East for the physical safety and well-being of its people and its continued existence as a nation. The post-industrial world as a whole selfishly depends on stability in the Middle East to contain the spread of terrorism. The Middle East selfishly depends on stability in the Middle East for the transition of their society to the post-industrial world, and also for the safety and well-being of its peoples.

Our premature "invasion" undoubtedly (and foreseeably) caused more instability than had theretofore existed, and thus is rightfully subject to much contempt here in America and abroad. Nonetheless we Americans are fully committed to restabilising the region and improving the lives of those who dwell there, however that is to be accomplished. (We could use less international criticism and more international support at this point, please).   We are no longer trying to "win the war". According to our President we accomplished that mission the moment Saddam was deposed. Our greatest failures were in not preparing an adequate replacement government, and not initially deploying enough troops to stabilize the region. Grievous failures to say the least.

The slogan "no blood for oil" is very catchy, but examine it closely and it becomes murkier. We need oil. Granted, our consumption level could stand to change, but we would still need oil. What price should we pay for this oil? Should we have let Saddam continue to brutalize his people and disrupt surrounding areas with better supplies of oil? Or should we try to do something about it?

The costs of the war, both economically and in terms of our international reputation, admittedly have not born fruit, and stability in the Middle East may not be loftiest of ideals, but America and other countries have historically entered into wars for greater principles.  

World War II (of which your homeland played a prominent but less than glorified role) was entered into to prevent Hitler and his cronies (including Mussolini) from conquering Europe and spreading their sick ideas across the western world.  By the way -- what was the Italian rationale for entering that war?  Germany was divided. Japan was obliterated. What price did the Italians paid for their sins?

Similarly the American Revolutionary War and the Civil War were fought for ideals that resonated not only in the hearts of Americans, but in the hearts of free-thinking people everywhere.  Independence, freedom from tyranny, democracy are truly ideal reasons for war. Peace is the ultimate ideal for war.  I do not pretend to imply that America only enters wars for those reasons, or that America has been on the right side of every war.  Only that we Americans are not naive about the reasons for entering into war. Since the 1950's especially, we know all too well.  

Answer 5

Americans believe what the government and the media want them to believe.  Our misguided faith is placed in the hands of the government, which we believe to have our best interests in mind.  We are led to believe that to question the intentions of the government is to question the ideals that the country is based on.  If we love and believe in freedom, then we must allow our government to deny us that freedom and make our decisions for us.  There are many many reasons to go to war, and most Americans will choose to believe the easier to swallow ones that are force-fed to them via the tv news.